Welcome to Mama Shu's Cribs

Shamayim Harris is no stranger to sadness. The loving mother lost her two-year-old son Jakobi Ra in a hit-and-run in her Detroit neighborhood of Highland Park in 2007. 

For 14 years, she grieved the loss of her son. Then, in 2021, her 23-year-old son, Chinyelu, was shot and killed while doing a neighborhood watch in his community.

While working through her indescribable grief, Shamayim (who goes by Mama Shu) knew she wanted to honor her sons through tangible actions. She yearned to channel her grief into something good. 

• “I needed to … change grief into glory, pain into power,” said Mama Shu. “I just tried to transform it into something bearable and something beautiful.”

🏚️ From bleak beginnings... Shortly after the passing of Jakobi Ra, Mama Shu noticed a small house for sale in a run-down area of the neighborhood. They wanted $5,000 for it. She offered $3,000.

For the next few years, the Detroit woman purchased small lots within a four block radius. She didn't have much cash, but had a vision to transform the neighborhood.

• “I initially started building the village with just any money that I could get,” she said. “Income tax refund checks, my work check, selling fish sandwiches for $5, getting donations.”

And thus, Avalon Village was born.

Officially launched by Mama Shu in 2016, the non-profit organization aims to revitalize the street and create a safe and nurturing space for the entire community.

🏘️ Welcome to Mama Shu's Cribs... Avalon Village currently owns 45 lots of land across three blocks in Highland Park. And located within that is Mama Shu's proudest accomplishment: the Homework House, which is a place where Highland Park's students can come after-school for any resources they may need.

• The home contains a library, computers, 3D printer, music studio, kitchen, and full bathrooms with handicap accessibility.
• “When children come to the Homework House, I want to make sure that they get all the attention and love that they deserve,” Mama Shu said. “It is meant to look like a home, to smell like a home, to be decorated like a home.”

🙏 Bottom line: All of the work on Avalon Village has been in honor of Mama Shu's sons, whom she misses every day. “I want the village’s impact to be that of resilience and for the spirits of my boys to be recognized,” Mama Shu shared. "...the grief is energy to move forward. I think that I have enough energy to probably build the whole world.”